Report Delivered by Medicare into Out-of-Pocket Healthcare Costs

This week, a report has been delivered by Medicare into the increasing costs faced by Australians when accessing healthcare, deemed as out-of-pocket expenses.The report, titled "The Mend Medicare Report" identified recurrent and chronic issues which were not addressed in the original establishment and funding of the Medicare system.

The report claims that:

"The reform efforts of recent years have failed to deal with the fundamental flaws of Medicare, which was introduced before the emergence of chronic disease as a major and growing issue in a society now living, on average, five years longer. Health represents a key concern and there have been persistent reports of ballooning out-of-pocket costs, long delays in treatment and inequities in access to care.

The origins of Medicare reach back 30 years to a very different health care scene and current health expenditure is placing unsustainable pressure on government budgets."

The report advocates transforming Medicare into a more effective patient-focused system through addressing the following key questions:

• Why is Medicare no longer providing universal access to health care?
• Who is missing out on essential health services?
• What are the consequences of poor access on health outcomes?
• Where is there financial waste in the health system that could be redirected to improved health care access?
• How can Medicare be remodelled to achieve its objectives?
• How can Australia give greater priority to prevention, integrated
• primary care, the social determinants of health and hospital avoidance?
• What funding models can best provide greater access, reduced outof-pocket costs for consumers and better quality health care, particularly for those with complex and chronic care needs?

The Greens have also brought this to the forefront as an issue that must be addressed after the election campaign.

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• Greens Media Release
• "Mend Medicare" Report